End play take-up for rotary fluid coupling



Dec. 30, 1952 G. P. CAST NER 2,523,359

END PLAY TAKE-UP FOR ROTARY FLUID COUPLING Original Filed April 12, 1947f 2 SHEETS-SHE3T l FIE 1 CJALUM/VQL Patented Dec. 30, 1952 END PLAYTAKE-UP FOR ROTARY FLUID COUPLING George P. Castner, Webster City, Iowa,assignor to Solar Corporation, Milwaukee, Wis., a corporation ofDelaware Original application April 12, 1947, Serial No.

741,083. Divided and this application November 26, 1948, Serial No.62,009

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to improvements in fluid drive couplings forclothes washing machines and the primary object is to provide means fortaking up wear and play between the relatively movable,

fluid connected parts of such couplings. 5 of the present invention toprovide means for This application is a division from my co-pendtakingup play in the coupling to prevent chating application Serial No.741,083 for Fluid Drive tering while keeping the coupling in conditionfor Clothes Washing Machines, filed April 12th, for proper spin speedregulation at all times. 1947. In that application there is disclosed aAnother object is to provide means for this pur- Washing machineembodying a clothes receptacle 19 pose of an exceedingly simple nature,and. capawhich is rotated by a motor through a fluid drive ble ofcontinuously, automatically taking up wear coupling to centrifugallyextract the cleansing and play as may be required, or in another form,fluid from the clothes. In accordance with my operative to take up playby occasional and very invention as set forth in more detail in this andsimple servicing. earlier related applications, the fluid coupling isThese and other more detailed and specific obof the rotary, fluidcontaining, vaned type, opjects will be disclosed in the course of thefolerating on a vertical axis and is only partially lowing specificationreference being had to the filled with fluid. As a result the couplinghas a accompanying drawings, in whichhigh slippage factor which variesquite widely Fig. 1 is a view identical to the corresponding with theapplied load and thus limits the speed 20 view in my prior applicationparent to this and of rotation of the loaded receptacle when the showingin vertical section and e'levationaclothes clothes therein are unevenlydistributed about washing machine embodying my invention. the spinningaxis. This has the extremely ad- Fig. 2 is an enlarged, verticaldiametricaltsece vantageous features of starting up the load with tionthrough the fluid coupling alone taken along a very gradual rate ofacceleration to reduce the the line 2--2 in Fig. 1. starting load on themotor, of reducing the vibra- Fig. 3 is a partial plan and horizontalsection to which centrifugal extractors of this type tional view alongthe line 3--3 in Fig. 2. are subjected, and finally of adjusting thespin Fig. 4 is a fragmentary detail sectional view speed according toload in such manner that a showing a slight modification of the take-uphigh final speed is obtainable as the load bemeans. comes betterbalanced without intervening peri- Referring now more particularly andby refods of destructive vibrational effects. As a part erencecharacters to the drawing, only such parts further of the invention asset forth in my earlier of the clothes washing machine as essential toapplication, and as claimed in application Serial an understanding ofthe present invention will be No. 690,532, filed August 14th, 1946, nowReissue described and as seen in Fig. 1 the machine com-,- Patent No.23,481, April 29th, 1952, in which I am prises an outer casing [0divided centrally by a a joint inventor with Arthur D. Lund, therepartition ll into upper and lower chambers I2 ceptacle, motor, fluidcoupling and other related and i3. Arranged in the upper chamber 12 is aelements are supported for limited, snubbed and rotary clothesreceptacle M in which is an agibalanced vibratory movements within theoutside tator I5, these elements being supported and easing of themachine, and these features all conseparately operated by a tubular spinshaft 16 tribute to the production of a machine in which and a coaxialagitator shaft I! which depend into vibration is reduced to a practicalminimum. the lower chamber IS. The shafts l6'l! are One slight dimcultyhas been experienced with journaled in a bearing structure l8 extendingthe fluid coupling as thus arranged and used, and loosely up through acenter opening in the partithis results from the gradual development oftion I l and this bearing is in turn supported on slight end playbetween the driving and driven a mounting plate l9 carried by a yoke 20having elements, causing an undesirable chattering efa centrallylocated, cushioned support 2| on the feet. Since the high slippage ratiois of great center of a bottom plate 22 forming part of the importanceit is necessary that the parts turn casing l0. Springs 23 (and othermeans not freely so that mechanical friction will not reduce shown ormaterial to this disclosure) serve to the slippage nor hinder thevariation thereof normally and yieldably center this entire inner underchanging load conditions. At the same structure within the housing butpermit limited time the fit must not be too loose and cause thevibrations and gyrations of the inner structure chattering effect notedand the tendency to chatabout the support 2|, with respect to the housri of o ravated by the fact that the ing. Carried by the mounting plateI9 is a mocoupling operates on a vertical axis and is subject to limitedvibration both horizontally and vertically by its mounting as describedabove.

It is, therefore, as stated, the primary object tor 24 and a powertransmission mechanism designated generally at 25 for selectivelyoperating the agitator l and spinning the receptacle id to centrifugallydischarge the cleansing fluid from the upper edge as will, it isthought, be readily understood. Includedas a part'of the mechanism 25and for spinning the receptacle it is a fluid drive coupling or fluiddrive unit 25.

This coupling 25 will be described in detail herein and as here shownitisimounted atop :a* countershaft 2'! journaled upon the mounting"plate 19 and driven through a belt 28 from the motor 24. This particularmounting is not, however, material and in fact'a similar couplingmounted directly on the motor shaft is shown in application Serial No.690,532 referred to hereinbefore.

Referring now particularly to Figs. 2 and 3 the coupling 26 comprises acircular impeller 29 having a mounting sleeve 3!! provided with a borelite-fit the. countershaft. 2.1, or other. drive shaft. whatever:itinaybe; Theiextremity. of the shaft 21 isothreadediattzl andthe..sleeve. iiiif tapped at.33:--to..screw--onto theshaft. Theimpeller. 29 has a plurality of-radially extendingv and. dowmwardly-d-irected .vanes 34, and is enclosed within a rotary housingdesignated generally at 3.5 hav-- ing two complementary. dishedsections. 35 and 31.: The alowermost housingfsection. 3? has a tubular.collar. 38- surrounding the impeller sleeve. 3!}- and. interposed:-between the sleeve and. collar are bearing-bushings 353. The upperhousingsectlon= 31 has a-centrallylocated,tapped filler-open.- lng 40axially aligned with the shaft 2?. The. peripheral edges of'the housingsections 35- and 3J'are permanently j oined and sealed bya'weldedseam'M" andthe'lower section 36 has radiallyextending and'upwardly projecting" vanes 52 spaced fromtheiimpellervanes 34! -asfseen; in Fig. 2..

Inordeu'to'tscrew'the impeller-Zil flrmly on the shaft 21ft:turn'therewith; afterrtheenclosing housing? 3.5 1st assembled; a'diametrically; extendin'gzfkfly"43 is :secured in notches '64: formedin. the bore of the impeller sleeve: The key'may be. staked-I;01*.O'l71I8IWiS6': suitably securedin place. The key is'ithus"so-locatedrthatan end slotted wrench: (not shown) maybe inserted throughtheopening 40 to engage the. key andturn the impeller.

Thezopening iilpermits the housing tobe filled with" fluid afterassembly: and when thishas been donethe opening is closed'by athreadedplug '45 having" ahead' 46 overlying the-margins of" the: opening? Thehousing is'fill'ed' only to a level 4! about even" with upper edgesofthe vanes '42-- and tHus the-impeller vanesi-l i' stand clear of thebody of 'fluidwhen" the coupling is at rest. To set'fithe'fluid" inmotion as" the impeller 29' is started in rotation I th'en' provide twoor more starting or-pick'up vanes 58 which are attached at 4'9 to thetop of the irnpeller and depend into tfi'efluid'as seen in Fig. 2.

The lower housing section S'Eihas a peripheral belt-' groove 50' aroundits lower end and a belt 5 running therein is trained over apulley 52(Fig. 1) which is secured to and drives the tubular receptacle shaft it.

With the'coupling constructed and assembled as'described it will beunderstood that when the shaft fl is set in rotation by the motor 24'the resulting; rotation of the impeller 29. will causetl'i'estartirigvanes Mlt'o set the body of fluid' in motion causing itto vortex and finally and. grad.- ually engage the vanes; 3.4 and. The,housing 4 35 will thus be set in motion and this rotation will betransmitted to the receptacle [4 through the belt 5!. Due to the factthat the coupling operates on a vertical axis, is only partially filledwith fluid, and. the impeller being superimposed does: not engage thefluid body whenat rest except through the starting vanes, the couplingwill have a high initial slippage factor and slippage will vary througha wide range under varyingload'conditions; As pointed out in detail inmy previous applications this has the extremely desirable effect ofreducing vibration in machines ofithis type to apractical minimum.

However, the fluid drive coupling is, due to its mounting, subject tosome vibration and this, coupled'with the fact that the relativelymovable parts-ofithe coupling must fit comparatively looselyinorder-that mechanical friction will not interferetwith the slippagecharacteristics of the coupling, brings about some trouble due to endplay andv chattering,developing. in the course-of time... To take up.theendplay I accordingly providea. ball 53, whichflts in areeess. es,formed in the .plug lfi, at its .inner, lower side. Theballengagesanotch 55in. the center of thekey 43 and is urged thereagainst by anexpansion coil spring 56 bracedbetween. the. ball andthe-upper end ofthe recessive.

Itwill'be noted that the impeller sleevetil has an annular shoulder 5?bearing. on a bearing. washer '58- onithe top ofthe upperibushing-39which overlies-the. upper end of :the-housingcollar 38. Thus-thedownward pressure Of the-spring pressed-ball 53 on theke-y iii-hasatendency toshift the-housing axially witlrrespect'to the impeller, andso continuously takes'up any wear-or end play and prevents chattering;from; developing. Theiarea in. contact at the bearing: washer 58 is1 sosmall that friction hasrlittle bearingion; the operation;

In Fig: 4 Ishow a modification 10f ithesinventioniwhereinthezball'and-spring'ofFig;zarareplacedz by" a thumb? screwwzwhiclr is'thread'ed;;down:- wardly through the plug ed and" providedwith: a. knurled .lock nuttfi; The =lower endof the screw is pointed atEl to. engage: the depression 551.111 the key 43: Bythe periodicadjust-ment'of the screw 59 the end play may be taken up as will bereadily evident;

It is understood that suitable modifications may bemadein the structureas disclosed, pro-- vided such modifications-come within the spirit andscope ofthe appended claim. Having now thereforefully illustrated anddescribed my invention, what I claim to be'newand desire to prote'ctbyLetters Patent is:

In a fluid drive coupling fO1 mOu1lting10n' arotating drive shaft, animpeller secured on the shaft, a fluid containing housing enclosing theimpeller and'rotatable on saidshaft andhaving limited end play withrespect to the shaft and impeller, said housing having an end wallspaced from the adjacent end of the shaft and. impeller, a notched keyon the impeller between the said end wall of the housing and the endofthe shaft, the improvement which. comprises a plug in. the end wall andhaving a recess facing the notchin the key, a ballin the recess engagingsaid notch, and a spring in. the recess engaging the ball and urging itagainst the key'to take upendplay between the housing andltheirnpeller.v

GEORGE P. CASTNER.

(References. on. following page);

REFERENCES crr n The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Tabb Feb. 16, 1926 Sinclair May24, 1932 Kirby Oct. 24, 1933 10 Number

